1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job management apparatus, a job management method, and a storage medium storing a computer program. More particularly, the present invention is suitably used to perform post-processing (i.e., post-press processing or finishing) on prints.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large-scale printing machine, such as an offset plate-making and printing press, is mainly employed even at present in the so-called commercial printing business where a printing company receives a request for producing prints from a client, produces the requested prints, and obtains a reward from the client after delivery of the prints. In such printing business, an ordered job is progressed through various steps of, for example, receiving a manuscript, working out a design and layout, producing a comprehensive layout (i.e., presentation with a printer output), proofreading (including layout revision and color revision), proof-printing, producing layout paper (mechanical), printing, executing post-processing (i.e., post-press processing or finishing), and dispatching.
Producing layout paper is indispensable to obtain prints by utilizing the offset plate-making and printing press. However, once the layout paper is produced, it is not easy to revise the layout paper, and the revision is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of cost. For that reason, careful proofreading, i.e., checking of the layout and confirmation of colors, is essential. Thus, in the commercial printing business, the job needs to be progressed in sequence through various steps. Stated another way, the commercial printing business requires not only the large-scale printing press, but also a certain period of time to produce prints demanded by the client. Further, individual tasks need respective expertise, i.e., know-how of skilled workers called craftsmen.
On the other hand, in competing with the above-described commercial printing business, a Print-On-Demand system (hereinafter referred to as a “POD” system) has recently been practiced with rapid development of electrophotographic printing apparatuses and ink jet printing apparatuses toward a higher speed and higher quality. The POD system is intended to handle a job in a smaller lot than the ordinary job, which has hitherto been handled by the offset plate-making and printing press, in a shorter delivery time without employing a large-scale apparatus or system. A new business market is now going to emerge in which digital printing using electronic data is implemented by making full use of a digital image processing apparatus, such as a digital copying machine or a digital composite machine, instead of a large-scale printing press or printing technique.
In such POD business, an entire system becomes more digitized and management and control using computers become more prevail than in the conventional printing business. Stated another way, the POD business is developed with intent to approach a level in the commercial printing business as much as possible by utilizing the computers. Against that background, a POD market is increasingly spreading in the form of copy/print shops, print services provided by printing companies, intra-company (in-house) print services, etc.
Further, finishing devices have been put into practical use as not only an inline finisher which is physically connected to an image processing apparatus, but also a near-line finisher. The near-line finisher is a finishing device which is physically away from an image processing apparatus, but which is connected to the image processing apparatus via a network in a way capable of communicating with each other.
In a system employing the near-line finisher, an instruction sheet on which a job (task) instruction for a next process is described (referred to as a “job ticket”) is generally printed out along with prints at the same time. According to the general method, a job is provided in such a manner as preparing contents of a job ticket and outputting the job ticket to be positioned on prints. This enables a worker to carry the prints to a finishing device in accordance with the job instruction described on the job ticket.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-308692 proposes a technique in relation to the system employing the near-line finisher. According to the proposed technique, if an error occurs in a near-line finisher, a finishing device having the same function as the post-processing function, which has been scheduled to be executed by the relevant near-line finisher, is searched for. If such a finishing device is found through the search, a job ticket for the relevant finishing device is generated (issued) and sent to it.
With the proposed known technique, however, information output to the job ticket is limited to a particular job instruction. For example, if a finisher A becomes unusable because of a failure after the job ticket has been generated to instruct the use of the finisher A instead, a user cannot easily find another finisher as a next candidate.
Further, post-processing steps can be executed in a manner shared by a plurality of near-line finishers. For that reason, the post-processing steps employing near-line finishers are often more complicated than post-processing steps employing the inline finisher in which the post-processing steps cannot be executed in a divided manner. Thus, the proposed known technique accompanies a fear that it becomes difficult for a worker to determine in what sequence prints should be carried to the respective near-line finishers from one to another.